UPDATE:
PORTAGE, Ind. (AP) — The National Park Service has reopened beaches in northwestern Indiana, more than a week after a spill of cyanide and ammonia from a steel factory along Lake Michigan.
The agency says three consecutive days of tests have been positive, including two days with no detection of cyanide. The government says samples were taken by Indiana environmental regulators and ArcelorMittal and reviewed by independent labs.
The Park Service had closed the Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk beach areas at Indiana Dunes National Park. Fish were killed.
ArcelorMittal says the spill occurred after its Burns Harbor mill had a failure at a blast furnace water recirculation system. Wastewater containing elevated levels of ammonia and cyanide was released in the Little Calumet River's east branch. The company has apologized.
ORIGINAL POST:
Beaches, including ones in the state’s first national park, are closed this weekend after a large fish kill. Authorities say the kill is likely the result of a chemical spill.
The spill is still under investigation and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, IDEM, will lead the effort.
Astatement from steelmaking company ArcelorMittal said they’re responding after a large fish kill was reported in the Little Calumet River. The company followed up with testing that showed higher than allowed levels of cyanide and ammonia-nitrogen in the water.
IDEM says in a statement, the exceedances appear to be the cause or a significant factor in the kill and have asked the company to initiate a spill response.
As a result, the National Park Service has indefinitely closed the Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk Beach areas at the Indiana Dunes. Parts of the Little Calumet River are closed to boating. The town of Ogden Dunes has also closed its beach. People are advised not to eat any fish from the area.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources says the investigation into the number of dead fish will take a while.